My colleague Tracy Waud sent me this wonderful e-mail...

"Dear Chris, Colton Primary School choir were invited to sing at an event at Temple Newsam House last Friday evening and I went along accompanying my daughter Alix, who is in the choir. The event was attended by and for 'Friends of Temple Newsam' so there were lots of people there. The children were dressed very smartly in their school uniforms and every single child behaved impeccably and were fantastic ambassadors for the school. They sang several traditional christmas songs to live keyboard music and more modern ones to a recording which they had previously sung in their school play. The recording did keep hiccuping but like true professionals they didnt let it phase them and they just carried on regardless, much to the amusement of everyone there. Sarah Haasz, one of the teachers at the school put together the choir and continues to support it both in and out of school by giving up her own time. It was just lovely to see the efforts continuing to bear fruit. I was so proud of my daughter and all of the children and I wanted to share this with you. Tracy."

Colton Primary School is a great little school and it's great to hear about the wonderful things our schools and colleagues are doing to release the magic.
Chris

I started the day with the Healthy Schools team...

I wanted to thank them for the incredible work they have been doing to get to 95% of Leeds schools achieving National Healthy Schools status. Their passion, commitment, energy, enthusiasm and sheer persistence has achieved remarkable things over the last three years and as a result brought considerable additional resources to Leeds. You cannot be successful unless you are happy and healthy and Anne Cowling and her talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues work lies at the heart of what we are doing to build brilliant.
Chris

I expect that along with millions we all watched the X Factor this evening and the final song, their Christmas song, has brilliant lyrics...

The Climb lyrics
Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb.

Whatever happens in the future, it's true, it's all about the climb.
Keep the faith.
Chris

Nearly there now; the end of yet another term in Leeds and another Christmas rapidly approaching...

We have had another incredible year, and at the end of this amazing year I want to thank the education and learning team here in Leeds for all their hard work; and encourage everyone to celebrate our many achievements over Christmas and the New Year. These are not mediocre times, and your contribution to the education in Leeds story has been one of passion, commitment, energy, courage and hard work and I am really grateful because whatever anyone says the evidence shows that the impact has been fantastic.

Last week included the usual round of meetings: children's services leadership team, corporate leadership team, cabinet, councillor briefings, meeting with Councillor Harker, executive board meeting, children's services scrutiny board, meetings with school colleagues, Education Leeds colleagues, children's services colleagues and NHS Leeds colleagues. On Monday I attended the beginning of the Leeds secondary school headteachers meeting and visited Mount St Mary's Catholic Primary School to talk to the staff. On Thursday I opened the Education Leeds/RM Evolve conference at the Queen's Hotel before I moved on to officially open the brilliant 'Interactive Zone' at the North East SILC at West Oaks. And finally, I attended a performance of Sweet Charity at Leeds West Academy. On Friday I was interviewed on the morning show on Radio Leeds by Andrew Edwards about primary places and provision, before speaking to colleagues at leadership forum about the opportunities and challenges facing us over the next few years, and finally visiting Beeston Primary School with Hilary Benn MP to look at the great work they have been doing with Barclays.

This latest snapshop simply demonstrates what makes Leeds so brilliant, and I am grateful to everyone for their persistence and determination to make a difference. Our brilliant schools, and our fantastic children and young people, have achieved more than ever thanks to the energy, patience, and commitment of the many talented teams working so hard across the city. Together here in Leeds we have made a tremendous difference and we must continue to find, nurture and release the magic. Next year we must continue to celebrate our schools’ successes, and work smarter and harder to create an even better tomorrow for all our children and young people.

I hope that this Christmas brings you and those you love… delight and simplicity, foolishness and fantasy, and noise, angels, miracles, wonder, innocence and magic… we have certainly proved this year that you are talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful!
Chris

Lats night I attended Northern Ballet Theatre's 40th Anniversary Gala at the Leeds Grand Theatre...

It ws a brilliant celebration of dance featuring Pheonix Dance Theatre, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Les Ballet de Monte Carlo, Rambert Dance Company, Zurich Ballet, Ballet de Rhin, The Royal Ballet and our own Northern Ballet Theatre. If you missed it you missed something simple wonderful.
Chris

We are doing brilliant work here in Leeds developing global citizens and a strong and vibrant international dimension to the curriculum. I was pleased that colleagues sent me this e-mail from John Rolfe at the British Council...

"Dear all, Haringey's Children and Young People's Implementation Plan makes a fantastic commitment to supporting the international dimensions of teaching and learning. See page 28; Priority 8: Develop Global Citizens: ECM – Making a Positive Contribution.
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/implementation_plan_2009-2012.pdf
Best wishes, John."

We need to carefully consider this as we further develop our Children and Young People's Plan.
Chris

I moved on again to Beeston Primary School where Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, was visiting to look at the work Barclays Bank were doing...

Beeston Primary School is a great school and Chris Lees, headteacher, and his team are doing an amazing job and releasing real magic with some fantastic young people. Barclays and others have helped the school really develop their environment and their financial literacy skills.
Chris

I moved on to the Leadership Forum meeting at the Leeds City Museum...

It was great to be able to spend some time with some great colleagues who are responsible for making Education Leeds success a successful organisation. I talked about people and places, opportunities and challenges and persistence, determination and hard work. We need to re-imagine the offer we make our schools in the same way that schools are having to re-imagine the offer they make their children and students. Organisations will change over the next few years with elections and the budget reshaping everything we do but brilliant people will always be there ensuring that our values and beliefs drive a learning system where by seven every child knows the difference between right and wrong, is a reader, can count, play, sing, dance and create; by eleven every child is a brilliant little learner experiencing a rich, vibrant, exciting and creative curriculum and by sixteen every young person is in charge of their own learning journey, has high expectations, high self-esteem and is on a pathway to success... whatever it takes!
Chris

I started the day early being interviewed on Radio Leeds by Andrew Edwards...

Radio Leeds were following up the front page Yorkshire Evening Post story from yesterday about how we have been managing the provision for our increasing reception age children. I talked about the challange we face with 600 additional reception age children arriving in our schools but also stressed that this was an opportunity to expand and develop great primary provision in popular and successful schools..We certainly live in interesting times!
Chris

I finished the day at the Leeds West Academy...

I had been invited to their production of Sweet Charity which was great. It was wonderful to see the place packed for this ambitious production. The young woman playing charity was fantastic and clearly has a great future ahead of her.
Chris